Solar Energy Development PEIS Links

Use the links on this page to access resources related to the Solar Energy Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), including solar energy and electric transmission information.

The Web sites listed below provide valuable information relating to the Solar Energy Development PEIS. Clink a link category from the list below to view links to solar and electric transmission organizations and resources.

Agency Links

Department of Energy (DOE) and National Laboratories

EERE leads the Federal government's research, development, and deployment efforts in energy efficiency. EERE's role is to invest in high-risk, high-value research and development that is critical to the Nation's energy future and would not be sufficiently conducted by the private sector acting on its own.

EERE's Solar Energy Technologies program focuses on developing cost-effective solar-energy technologies that have the greatest potential to benefit our nation and the world. The Solar Energy Technologies program Web site provides overviews of concentrating solar power, photovoltaics, and several other solar energy topics.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy. EIA provides policy-independent data, forecasts, and analyses to promote policy making, efficient markets, and public understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. The EIA Web site has a glossary of energy-related terms and many other useful reference materials. The EIA Web site also has a list of energy-related links at http://www.eia.doe.gov/links.html.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development (R&D). The Solar Energy Basics site provides overviews of concentrating solar power, photovoltaics, and several other solar energy topics.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development (R&D). The laboratory's scientists and researchers support critical market objectives to accelerate research from scientific innovations to market-viable alternative energy solutions.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed an interactive mapping tool, called Solar Prospector, that allows users to examine, distribute, and analyze solar resource data for the United States and northern Mexico. It assists in making decisions about optimal locations for CSP plants. Users can explore temporal and spatial aspects of NREL's solar resource data and can download the resource data for use outside of the tool.

Argonne has partnered with Northwestern University and other world-class research universities to form the
Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center. The long-term vision of this center is to develop
the fundamental understanding, materials and methods necessary to create dramatically more efficient technologies
for solar fuels and electricity production.

Sandia National Laboratories works with the U.S. photovoltaic industry, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, other government agencies, and international organizations to increase the world-wide use of photovoltaic power systems by reducing cost, improving reliability, increasing performance, removing barriers, and growing markets. Site includes photo database.

This website provides information and guidance for the photovoltaic community and interested public based on work funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Solar Technologies Program. This center has been established at Brookhaven National Laboratory to provide focused environmental health safety information to the photovoltaic community.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 261 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate—more land than any other federal agency, most being in the Western states, including Alaska. The BLM sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The BLM works closely with other federal agencies, state and Tribal governments, local communities, industry, and citizens of the United States to develop dependable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy from the public lands.

The California Department of Fish and Game maintains native fish, wildlife, plant species and natural communities for their intrinsic and ecological value and their benefits to the people of California. This includes habitat protection and maintenance in a sufficient amount and quality to ensure the survival of all species and natural communities.

U.S. and International Solar Organizations and Industry Groups

ISES has been serving the needs of the renewable energy community since its founding in 1954. A UN-accredited NGO present in more than 50 countries, the Society supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technology, implementation and education all over the world.

SolarPACES is an international cooperative organization bringing together teams of national experts from around the world to focus on the development and marketing of concentrating solar power systems (also known as solar thermal power systems). It is one of a number of collaborative programs managed under the umbrella of the International Energy Agency to help find solutions to worldwide energy problems.

SEPA facilitates the use and integration of solar electric power by utilities, electric service providers, and their customers. SEPA provides tools to utilities and electric service providers supporting the use and integration of solar; fosters business-to-business networking; shares information on solar electric technologies, applications, and programs; and evaluates and reports on policies, regulations, and legislation.

SEIA is the national trade association of solar energy manufacturers, dealers, distributors, contractors, installers, architects, consultants, and marketers. SEIA works to expand the use of solar technologies in the global marketplace.

Other Solar Resources

Utilizing state-of-the-art GIS technology, the Atlas brings together the best existing renewable resource maps and data into a single comprehensive, publicly available document and interactive Web site. It does not provide a new regional assessment of renewable resources, but rather shows the current understanding of these resources throughout the West and highlights the issues affecting their development.

Electric Transmission and Other Resources

FERC regulates and oversees energy industries in the economic, environmental, and safety interests of the American public. FERC is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines as well as licensing hydropower projects.

WECC is responsible for coordinating and promoting electric system reliability among the participating electric power systems engaged in bulk power generation and/or transmission serving all or part of the 14 Western States and British Columbia, Canada. WECC’s homepage contains links to a variety of energy-related sites.

NERC's mission is to ensure that the bulk electric system in North America is reliable, adequate and secure. Since its formation in 1968, NERC has operated successfully as a self-regulatory organization, relying on reciprocity, peer pressure and the mutual self-interest of all those involved.

Southwest Area Transmission (SWAT) is comprised of transmission regulators/governmental entities, transmission users, transmission owners, transmission operators and environmental entities. The goal of SWAT is to promote regional planning in the Desert Southwest. The site features links to several other energy resources.

The goal of the Rocky Mountain Area Transmission Study is to identify in an open and public process, the most critical electric transmission and generation project needs in the Rocky Mountain sub region, and with broad stakeholder involvement provide a framework for regional collaboration to improve the Western interconnection with technical, financial and environmentally viable projects identified for developmental consideration.